Each year about 2 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths are bicyclists. In a majority of bicyclist deaths, the most serious injuries are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet.
Sacks, J.J.; Holmgreen, P.; Smith, S.M.; and Sosin, D.M. 1991. Bicycle-associated head injuries and deaths in the United States from 1984 through 1988. How many are preventable? Journal of the American Medical Association 266(21):3016-8. Helmet use has been estimated to reduce the odds of head injury by 50 percent, and the odds of head, face, or neck injury by 33 percent.
Elvik, R. 2013. Corrigendum to: "Publication bias and time-trend bias in meta-analysis of bicycle helmet efficacy: A re-analysis of Attewell, Glase and McFadden, 2001". Accident Analysis and Prevention 60:245-53. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have helmet use laws applying to young bicyclists; none of these laws applies to all riders. Local ordinances in a few states require some or all bicyclists to wear helmets. The odds that a bicyclist will wear a helmet are 4 times higher after a helmet law is enacted than before a law is passed.
Karkhaneh, M.; Kalenga, J-C.; Hagel, B.E.; and Rowe, B.H. 2006. Effectiveness of bicycle helmet legislation to increase helmet use: a systematic review. Injury Prevention 12:76-82. Helmets are important for riders of all ages, not just young bicyclists. Eighty-eight percent of bicyclist deaths are persons ages 20 and older. During the past few years, no more than 17 percent of fatally injured bicyclists were wearing helmets.

Data subsections:

Trends

A total of 817 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2015. This represents a 13 percent increase from 2014 and the highest number of bicyclist deaths since 1995. Bicyclist deaths have decreased 19 percent since 1975. In 2015, 88 percent of bicyclist deaths were those ages 20 and older. Deaths among bicyclists younger than 20 have declined 88 percent since 1975, while deaths among bicyclists 20 and older have more than tripled. In every year since 1975, many more male than female bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles. The decline since 1975 among female bicyclists (34 percent) was larger than the decline among male bicyclists (15 percent).

Bicyclist deaths by age and gender, 1975-2015

Year

<20 years

≥20 years

Total*

Males

Females

Males

Females

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

1975

638

64

148

15

180

18

32

3

1,003

100

1976

568

62

130

14

180

20

33

4

914

100

1977

543

59

159

17

184

20

33

4

922

100

1978

531

60

140

16

182

20

37

4

892

100

1979

534

57

130

14

219

23

42

5

932

100

1980

511

53

132

14

268

28

49

5

965

100

1981

477

51

127

14

260

28

53

6

936

100

1982

428

50

91

11

288

33

52

6

864

100

1983

463

56

85

10

233

28

45

5

830

100

1984

405

48

98

12

268

32

53

6

838

100

1985

435

50

86

10

288

33

50

6

869

100

1986

459

49

85

9

322

35

54

6

929

100

1987

470

50

77

8

353

38

37

4

940

100

1988

415

46

75

8

353

39

52

6

901

100

1989

374

45

75

9

320

39

51

6

822

100

1990

319

37

56

7

403

47

65

8

853

100

1991

290

35

66

8

419

50

55

7

836

100

1992

290

40

51

7

335

47

39

5

717

100

1993

304

38

58

7

395

49

46

6

806

100

1994

293

37

61

8

387

49

48

6

796

100

1995

263

32

63

8

430

52

64

8

828

100

1996

246

32

52

7

402

53

55

7

761

100

1997

271

33

48

6

438

54

51

6

811

100

1998

235

31

41

5

421

56

58

8

757

100

1999

229

31

44

6

425

57

50

7

750

100

2000

201

29

30

4

410

60

46

7

689

100

2001

174

24

31

4

479

66

41

6

729

100

2002

157

24

32

5

426

64

41

6

663

100

2003

159

25

29

5

394

63

42

7

626

100

2004

144

20

44

6

478

66

52

7

722

100

2005

149

19

30

4

532

68

67

9

784

100

2006

131

17

23

3

539

70

71

9

769

100

2007

120

17

25

4

489

70

58

8

699

100

2008

111

16

24

3

509

71

68

9

716

100

2009

95

15

23

4

454

72

56

9

628

100

2010

81

13

18

3

452

73

66

11

621

100

2011

81

12

23

3

497

73

76

11

680

100

2012

100

14

17

2

535

73

72

10

730

100

2013

97

13

12

2

546

73

87

12

747

100

2014

82

11

13

2

553

76

68

9

723

100

2015

80

10

11

1

612

75

108

13

817

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Fifty-four percent of bicyclists killed in 2015 were not wearing helmets. Helmet use was unknown for 29 percent.

Bicyclist deaths by helmet use, 2010-2015

Year

No helmet use

Helmet use

Unknown

Total

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

2010

429

69

94

15

98

16

621

100

2011

450

66

100

15

130

19

680

100

2012

469

64

123

17

138

19

730

100

2013

464

62

127

17

156

21

747

100

2014

429

59

118

16

176

24

723

100

2015

440

54

139

17

238

29

817

100

Among bicyclists ages 16 and older who were killed in 2015, 23 percent had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent.

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured bicyclists age 16 and older with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent, 1982-2015

Year

Bicyclists killed

Estimated bicyclists killed with BACs ≥ 0.08

Number

Number

%

1982

446

124

28

1983

392

108

28

1984

415

100

24

1985

435

89

20

1986

485

112

23

1987

494

124

25

1988

502

126

25

1989

449

115

26

1990

551

131

24

1991

530

148

28

1992

418

108

26

1993

500

134

27

1994

495

129

26

1995

542

162

30

1996

507

130

26

1997

560

144

26

1998

526

152

29

1999

537

168

31

2000

496

152

31

2001

570

166

29

2002

503

146

29

2003

481

139

29

2004

569

141

25

2005

636

178

28

2006

653

182

28

2007

586

155

26

2008

618

155

25

2009

543

149

27

2010

552

128

23

2011

613

151

25

2012

662

170

26

2013

684

143

21

2014

656

139

21

2015

766

175

23

When they died

Bicyclist deaths in 2015 were highest during July (12 percent) and lowest during March (5 percent).

Distribution of bicyclist deaths by month, 2015

Month

Deaths

%

January

47

6

February

47

6

March

40

5

April

61

7

May

66

8

June

92

11

July

94

12

August

78

10

September

89

11

October

85

10

November

66

8

December

52

6

Total

817

100

Bicyclist deaths in 2015 peaked during the hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (24 percent).

Distribution of bicyclist deaths by time of day, 2015

Time of day

Deaths

%

Midnight - 3 a.m.

46

6

3 a.m. - 6 a.m.

50

6

6 a.m. - 9 a.m.

87

11

9 a.m. - noon

70

9

Noon - 3 p.m.

76

9

3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

158

19

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

192

24

9 p.m. - midnight

135

17

Total*

817

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Where they died

In 2015, 70 percent of bicyclists were killed in urban areas. Bicyclist deaths occurred about equally in rural and urban areas in 1975.

Bicyclist deaths by land use, 1975-2015

Year

Urban

Rural

Total*

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

1975

497

50

506

50

1,003

100

1976

470

51

444

49

914

100

1977

543

59

375

41

922

100

1978

532

60

350

40

892

100

1979

541

60

367

40

932

100

1980

563

59

390

41

965

100

1981

528

59

371

41

936

100

1982

490

57

364

43

864

100

1983

502

61

324

39

830

100

1984

491

59

346

41

838

100

1985

515

59

353

41

869

100

1986

567

61

361

39

929

100

1987

532

57

406

43

940

100

1988

525

58

374

42

901

100

1989

520

63

302

37

822

100

1990

523

61

330

39

853

100

1991

539

64

297

36

836

100

1992

448

63

265

37

717

100

1993

491

61

313

39

806

100

1994

477

60

318

40

796

100

1995

540

66

284

34

828

100

1996

494

65

265

35

761

100

1997

519

64

289

36

811

100

1998

479

63

277

37

757

100

1999

484

65

266

35

750

100

2000

422

63

251

37

689

100

2001

478

66

251

34

729

100

2002

450

68

211

32

663

100

2003

435

70

189

30

626

100

2004

477

66

242

34

722

100

2005

539

69

243

31

784

100

2006

555

73

209

27

769

100

2007

500

72

197

28

699

100

2008

491

69

222

31

716

100

2009

436

70

191

30

628

100

2010

444

72

174

28

621

100

2011

468

69

208

31

680

100

2012

503

69

225

31

730

100

2013

505

68

242

32

747

100

2014

511

71

212

29

723

100

2015

492

70

214

30

817

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Thirty-five percent of bicyclist deaths in 2015 occurred at intersections.

Bicyclist deaths by junction type, 2015

Number

%

Intersection

282

35

Non-intersection

535

65

Total*

817

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Fifty-four percent of bicyclist deaths in 2015 occurred on major roads other than interstates and freeways, and 29 percent occurred on minor roads. Deaths of bicyclists younger than 20 were more likely to occur on minor roads compared with deaths of bicyclists ages 20 and older (35 percent vs. 28 percent).